Haramassive

My thoughts on this are still very remedial. I'm an extremely amateur videographer, and by no means an elite cyclist, but nevertheless cycling is extremely important to me.
2 years ago, I was in what one can only describe as a rut. I was failing out of university, my girlfriend of 3 years had just cheated on me, and I was about 50 pounds overweight at almost 220 lbs, or 100 kg's. This all changed when I discovered triathlon, but most notably cycling. I began shaving off pounds like nobody's business, after 1 semester of getting a 1.8 GPA I went back up to 4.0's and have maintained them ever since, and I found new purpose in life through cycling.
Cycling gave me goals, it gave me passion, it gave me a fire to be alive again.
As a way to repay my dues to the cycling community, I've been thinking very hard about organizing and filming a documentary about cycling and the various cultures it has in various cities. I was hoping to cover Los Angelos, New York, Minneapolis, Chattanooga, and San Francisco's local cycling scenes, but I'm not quite sure if that's broad enough. I've also wondered if it would be worth my time to travel internationally and document some areas like Adelaide, Amsterdam, and London and get a feel for their scenes.
My biggest issue doing this would be to gather the proper funding or to gauge if there was interest in making this film. I also think it might be beneficial to find another individual to travel and take part in this documentary with me.
I guess, more than anything, I'm throwing this up here to see if you might have interest in seeing this documentary and if you have any ideas on obtaining the funding for this film, as it would undoubtedly cost probably 5 - 10,000 USD just to accomplish the travel on a strict budget.
I don't expect to make the money back, I just want to see if there is interest in seeing this project done. Thanks for your time fellow two wheeled friends!

jorglueke

If you have a good vision and can frame your idea about cycling culture around a tight premise/narrative it could be interesting. It would of course be well made enough, I'm used to documentaries on PBS. For funding you might try something like kickstarter. If you're still in school you might look to University level film festivals where you could enter a short documentary and hopefully get some feedback. I'd think a short pilot based whereyou are now would be required in any case to help with funding.

Haramassive

Yeah, I was thinking I'd make a short pilot based around the area and the culture of the area I currently reside in before I take on the task of acquiring funding.

jefnvk

To be brutally honesty, describing yourself as an "extremely amateur" videographer is not the greatest sales pitch, and would worry me that something I funded would never see completion. $5-10k is a VERY low number for a multi-month documentary filming budget. I had a friend with substantial amateur video experience do what you are proposing for rally racing, and his starting numbers were closer to $60k. From what I learned about his experience, the second you even start carrying a modest amount of video gear, luggage fees on aircrafts skyrocket, and cheap public transit is out of the question in favor of pricier SUV/van/large car rentals with room to carry your gear. Things like music licensing fees alone could run a substantial bit of what you are asking, unless you want generic canned open tracks in your final product.

Not trying to discourage you, just pointing out some realities.

Stratocaster

That's some good info for the OP.

I would imagine that anyone you ask on a bike forum would have some sort of interest in a cycling documentary.
So count me in as a "Yes".

jefnvk

Oops, yep, forgot the positive reinforcement! I do like the idea!

rubiksoval

What culture are you talking about, though? Road racing? Clubs? Centuries? Club rides? Weekend warriors? Commuters? Mountain bikers? Gravel riders? Cyclocrossers? There's a lot of options out there.

Senrab62 

Cycling culture varies too much. What aspects are you going to go into? Touring? Urban? Club? Recreational? Also what about Chicago - they have a long history with cycling culture.

Do some more research and make sure you are being concise with what you are wanting to cover. Also take your time.

Senrab62 

Haha! Exactly what I was thinking when I read the OP's initial post. Great minds think alike.

And also, please do not take my comments as negative. As previously mentioned, almost anyone on this forum would likely have interest. There are simply too many variables with a general question regarding a potential documentary.

TimothyH

I want to see documentaries about things I know little about rather than things with which I might already be familiar.

The surface of Mars, Abraham Lincoln, the culture of horsemen on the Mongolian steppe or the development of post temple rabbinic Judaism... something like that.

Group rides, fixed gear at the velodrome, crits down in Atlanta, there is a large mountain bike park three miles from my house and I used to ride in NYC with some of the messengers - if I want to learn about the cycling culture in the US I just go out my front door and do it.


-Tim-

Maelochs

Could someone produce a video about cycling culture which was entertaining to me? Could happen. Would it also be entertaining to others? Possibly. Could it also be profitable ... there might be a slight chance .... but it could be a big underground hit ... and if it gets onto a couple cable channels ...

The issues I see ... as mentioned above, there are many, many types of "cycling culture" ... competition, group rides, the cafe culture, college campus cyclists, townies on fixies, low-riders and choppers, BMX and MTB riding ....

You could probably do 45 minutes on just cruiser culture in Atlanta or Austin. You could do differing cultures in a few major cities. You could do a piece on similar cultures in a variety of cities. You probably couldn't do all that ... unless it was a six-hour Ken Burns documentary.

You'd need a lot more focus .... or ..... take your iPhone and do a bunch of YouTube videos to gain experience and a following, start tweeting about where and when you will be shooting next, do some big-tricks stuff at BMX-skate parks (just for ratings and name recognition) then do some good interviews about people who are really key to or knowledgeable about cycling culture in a particular area---ministers who provide bikes for poor kids, the guy who runs the most popular cruiser bike shop, the guy who runs the local co-op, the guy (or girl, in every one of these cases, of course) who has been part of a particular scene for many years and can describe the developments and changes ....

Do a bunch of those, and before long you will have a basic outline of your major work, which you could then pitch to studios ... or nowadays, try to fund via GoFundMe and IndieGoGo.

jade408

You should also scan Street Films videos as well - about urban planning and transportation.

nycphotography

Covering all those would be great. Just leave out the greasy hipsters on the fixies. tyvm.

canklecat

Sure. Lots of room for cycling related stories still to be told.

Many of the folks I see riding bicycles are impoverished, homeless, or getting by on daily contractor jobs. Hardly anyone thinks of them in reference to a "cycling culture", but we have many common interests, particularly in being able to commute safely.

To help with your pitch, put together some samples of your work, edited to 1-5 minutes long.

Kedosto

The motion picture Olive (2011) was shot entirely with a Nokia smartphone and 35mm lens adapter. There is less need for high end, expensive equipment these days to produce quality content. Travel doesn't have to be expensive as long as you're flexible. Sofa surf your way through the various cycling cultures you want to cover and I'm sure you could produce something interesting.

There has never been a better time for content production. Years ago if your product wasn't mainstream enough it would never see the light of day. Today we have Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, YouTube, Vimeo, cable TV, etc, etc. Every one of them need content, and not the same old boring formulaic drivel we're all tired of watching.

TL/DR: Go for it!


-Kedosto

Machka 

Randonneurs, Audax, and other Ultra-distance cycling ...

Actually I think there is a video or two out there on RAAM.

Garfield Cat

The pro riders who train in Colorado and those riders who train just as if...

jbell_64

I'd say start small and do it more like a series. Do one on say gravel riders and go to dirty kanza and a few other of the big gravel rides. Then do one on racing that covers omnium cyclocross etc. Then maybe distance riders. You get the drift. Eventually turn it into one long documentary.

NWGuy99

Like the idea, but to even step back further in the discussion: What about your story? And documenting like stories geographically or culturally of others?

I am guessing that you have asked this question of yourself, and have decided to go a more open direction. It has been a life changing experience for you and I bet for others as well. You have first hand knowledge of that and would recognize the same thing in others...

Just playing the "step back and ask the obvious question game".

Maelochs

I'd say do one or more short ones right away ... so we know you are serious, and so we can actually comment on your videos. I think we have said all there is to say about the idea.

Cyclist0084

Come on, this is BikeForums.net...there's always something more to say on any/every subject!!

DVC45

Yes.

Maelochs

What, still no videos?

CaptKelly

hell to the no. cycling is among the most subversive and idiosyncratic "cultures" that exit. the only people interested in a "cycling documentary" are cyclists themselves who would foam at the mouth figuring every last way to criticize it. taking other people's money would be better wasted somewhere else.

Gyro

Watch this movie for some tips. On Any Sunday (1971) - IMDb

I believe the first part on the AMA was a bit long.